


Quiet's Game

by Raelae



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:25:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5890930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raelae/pseuds/Raelae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting a bit tired with Miller's attitude towards her, Quiet decides to have a little fun messing with his head. She just never thought doing so would finally earn her a place on the roster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet's Game

Snake sat quietly at his desk, a rare thing for him but work needed to be done. He'd spent more time on missions than he should have as of late, and he had shirked his paperwork duties long enough. There was a long list of supplies to go through, deployment result's, complaints from some of the soldiers...a long list of things he should have dealt with a while ago. Made sense now why so many of the men were getting into fights while he was away. Morale wasn't exactly low really, just men were overly frustrated. He really had to do better with dividing his time between Mother Base and the field.

He let out a long tired sigh and sat back in his chair, letting his eye settle on the clock on the wall. Nearly seven P.M. He'd missed dinner...he'd catch hell from Ocelot for that for sure. He was actually kind of surprised neither Ocelot or Miller had brought food to his quarters actually, it wasn't beyond what they would do.

That was the least of his worries though, the building stress was more central to his mind. He leaned forward and settled his elbows on his desk, rubbing his temples gently. Man was he starting to feel his age.

He looked off to his side as DD let out a worried whimper from his bed in the corner. He smiled to try to soothe his K9 friends mind a bit, but that apparently wasn't enough. The dog got up and made his way towards him, making an odd arch in direction as he did so, causing Snake to raise his brow in curiosity. That was a bit odd...

He had no time to reflect on it though, as DD made his way to his side and settled both a paw and his head on Snakes lap. 

He let a smile slip as he reached down and patted the dog on the head, appreciative of the dogs small gestures here and there in regards to his well being. He often afforded this to his dog more than the humans around him, knowing the dog probably understood more of what he was going through than other humans did. That was the thing with animals. A human could know you all your life, and never really know you. An animal on the other hand always knew, could feel whenever you changed inside. It was hard to hide yourself from an animal, so he never tried to. DD probably saw more of the real him than anyone else did. Well...maybe save for one other person recently...

The metal clang at his door drove him from his thoughts, looks like what he feared came to be. His guardians were here to nag him about missing dinner.

“Come in!” He called, shifting in his seat as DD pawed over to the door.

It opened with a hiss and DD greeted the only person standing there, Miller. Miller awkwardly patted the dog with his free hand before stepping all the way into Snakes room. DD followed him as the door hissed shut behind them, tail wagging manically.

“...whats with him...?”

“He gets excited with visitors. He's like any other dog really when he's off duty, so to speak.”

“Dog...I'm amazed we're still calling him that...”

“Dog, wolf, does it really matter. He's a soldier, a Diamond Dog, that's enough for me.”

“Hmf...”

“...so what brings you here Kaz? Berating me?”

“...berating you? For what?”

“...missing dinner...”

“Oh, right. No Ocelot's decided he wants to do that, I need to talk with you about something else.”

“If it's about the fights...”

“No, no. I know you're already working on that Boss. It's something else.”

“Well what can I do you for then?”

“...it's about Quiet...”

Snake grunted and sat back in his chair again, crossing his arms over his chest. “How come it seems every time someone knocks on my door, it has something to do with Quiet?”

“...how can it not? Shes completely untrustworthy. She freaks everyone out...”

“I know Kaz, I've dealt with this already. Why do I have to continue to deal with it?”

“You wouldn't have to keep dealing with it if you'd have just done what I told you to and...”

“Kaz, enough. I made my decision, why can't you just except that? Why can't you just except that maybe, just maybe, she can be trusted?”

“Because I did trust once, nine years ago, and look where that's gotten us.”

“...I told you before. 'IF' it comes to that, I'll take care of her. She's my responsibility.”

“That's right, you said you would. But 'WHEN' the time comes, will you really be able to?”

“Kaz...you better get to the reason why you're here before I stick my foot up your ass...”

Kaz's mouth snapped shut, caught a bit off guard. It had been quite a while since the snake spat venom at him, he was sure living up to his name this evening.

“...I...I think she's been looking around my room...”

Snake tilted his head to the side, looking very much like a confused dog. “...”

“...I'm serious Snake!”

“And why the hell would she want to go sneaking around your smelly room?”

“Wha...it's not smelly!”

“Oh yes it his. Not once in your life have you left the bachelor lifestyle behind Kaz.”

“That...that's beside the point Boss. It doesn't change the fact that shes been looking through my stuff!”

“Why would she be looking through your stuff? Looking for documents maybe? Come on Kaz, we both know you stopped taking paperwork or files back to your room ages ago. The only things you sneak in there are Playboys and everyone knows it.”

“...”

Snake got up and walked over to his old friend, patting him on the shoulder. “Alright, tell me. What makes you think 'anyone' might be perusing around your room?”

“...stuffs always moving...falling over. I swear to god Boss, I was looking at...a magazine the other day...and one of my chairs floated across the room a bit and dropped to the floor.”

“...we're soldiers Kaz, your hands are no cleaner than the rest of ours. You sure you're just not being...haunted or something?”

“...I don't believe in ghosts Boss...”

“Hm. You'd be surprised Kaz, believe me...ghosts aren't at all that impossible.”

“Really? You honestly believe so?”

“Yeah. Just trust me on that one Kaz...”

“...well I still don't believe it was some ghost. I think it was that freak woman and I think shes fucking with me.”

Snake winced a bit and took a deep breath before looking Kaz dead in the eyes. “Alright. When did this all happen?”

“Yesterday, just after lunch.”

Snake raised a brow. “Damn Kaz, you start looking at those magazines early don't you?”

“Snake! I'm serious about this!”

“Look Kaz, it wasn't Quiet, so I don't know what the hells messing with you.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“I was there with her after lunch yesterday, she never left her cell. She just walked around humming a bit, then she popped under the shower for a drink before sunbathing. That's all she did the whole time.”

Again Kaz's mouth snapped shut, his face taking on an ashen appearance.

“...look Kaz, I don't think you're being haunted, I'm just messing with you. I do think you should maybe get a little bit more rest though, obviously the work load and the worries are getting to you a bit.”

“Yeah...maybe...”

Again Snake patted him on the shoulder before directing him to the door. “Go rest Kaz. I'll get a hold of Ocelot on the iDroid and tell him to leave you be for the rest of the night.”

“Yeah...sure...Boss, thanks...”

He watched his old friend exit waiting quite a bit after the door hissed shut before letting out a very rare, guttural laugh.

“Well...maybe that'll teach him a lesson for a while.” He said, chuckling again before sitting back at his desk. He looked over at DD who didn't seem to quite understand what made him so suddenly happy, but seemed pleased nonetheless that he was.

Thinking of the dog made him think of what happened just before Kaz interrupted, and he started putting two and two together.

“Alright Quiet, now why don't you in some way, tell me why the hell you were in Kaz's room?”

Nothing happened for a few moments, but Snake knew she was there, even if he couldn't exactly sense her. DD had though, he'd given her away by diverging his path around her, so it was only a matter of time really.

And at last, Quiet did materialize in the same spot DD had moved around. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall, giving him a challenging look.

This was how it always was with her, a constant game of charades to try to figure out what was going on in that head of hers.

“You know soldiers quarters are also off limits to you Quiet, so why were you in there?”

She changed neither her position nor the look on her face, leaving him to try to interpret for himself what she was thinking.

He sat there for a few moments, staring at her face, like he was trying to read some form of hidden writing that might be scrawled upon it. To find the answer to the riddle, he really only had to think of what Kaz may have done to her. Problem was...that was a lot of things. It had to be something recent though, because she hadn't bothered to mess with him any other time.

Finally, he snapped the fingers on his real hand, causing both her and the dog to jump a bit.

“This has to do with last week doesn't it? The helicopter incident?”

She shifted a bit, raising her hands up to form a gun and pointing them to the ceiling like she had when she pointed them at the blades.

“You're still upset with what he said? Didn’t think that would have bothered you, you never seem to let any other kind of name calling effect you.”

She gave him the same look she had given Kaz that day, the irritated 'shut up before I kill you' look. Snake knew it wasn't directed at him though, she was just reminding him that she had made that face, because she knew he had to of noticed it.

“Yes, yes. Fair enough, I did see that. But we don't need you giving the old man a heart attack, no matter how funny it might have been. No more of that Quiet, I'll deal with him from here on out.” He said as he got up, walking over to her.

She shifted a bit, suddenly feeling like a tiger in a humans trap, knowing Snake knew more about his own room then she did, giving him the upper hand if he decided to pull something.

But he tried nothing, just set a hand on her shoulder gently as he had done so many times before. To this point she wasn't entirely sure if he remembered who she was or not. If he just pretended he didn't know, or if he had been too drugged during the hospital attack to remember her face from Cyprus. If he was pretending, then he was way too forgiving. But if he just didn't remember, then he was just a time bomb waiting to blow. At least, that's how it should be. But he just felt...so different. She really doubted this man would ever hurt her unless he really had to.

Finally he pulled his hand from her shoulder, seeing the confusion on her face. He didn't want to scare her in any way, he was really trying his best to get through to her and earn her complete and total trust. And, truthfully, to rub it in Kaz's face a bit. He really wanted to prove his old friend wrong. To prove to him that people can really change. He knew this all harkened back to what Huey did or didn't do nine years before, and the truth was still debateable. But that didn't mean everyone had to be held to those standards, just because of one man.

“Look, Quiet. I know being in the position you are, you probably know more about us then we think you do, so maybe you know what happened in the past. And maybe you don't...But we got wronged...pretty hard. Kaz isn't trying to be a dick for the sake of being a dick, very bad things happened, and his trust is shot. That in no way condones what he's doing to you, I'm just saying if it hadn't happened he might be giving you more of a chance...”

He paused, turning to make his way over to the small round window that looked outside. He stared for a few moments, watching as the reflection of the slowly falling sun danced across the gentle waves.

“...this base isn't just made up of newbies...some of the old soldiers are here too...and they find it hard to forget. We didn't just loose comrades that day...we're more than soldiers to each other...we're family...it hurts more that way...”

Quiet tilted her head a bit, afraid to move yet feeling like she needed to. She wasn't a stranger to Snake's gentler side, but this was just...scary. This was more his...sentimental side, and she wasn't sure why he was showing it to her. In this moment, she could see a wounded dog. And like any wounded or sick animal...he was trying his best to hide it. This man was a far different person than what she was told about.

If she could breathe, she would have let out a long drawn out breath at this moment, signifying defeat. She hated herself for giving in to this man, but she was just attracted to his way of thinking. He was in no way weak, but he was willing to look at all points of view, the sign of a good leader. A man who could be kind and gentle one minute, but bite your head clean off the next if you harmed anyone close to him. It'd been a long time since Quiet knew that feeling, to see a leader who genuinely cared for those around him. These soldiers were family, not just...well, soldiers. That's certainly nothing she'd known in the XOF.

Pulling a long distasteful face, she finally made her way towards Snake, earning her a low growl from DD in the process. The dog was tolerant of her presence for the most part, but not when she was getting too close to Snake.

Snake didn't turn to respond in anyway, he just moved his bionic hand a bit, holding his hand flat to tell the dog to stand down. DD begrudgingly did so, his eye still locked on Quiets moving form.

Quiet stopped next to him, looking out the window as well. This was one of the many joys she took in on Mother Base, something she never dared in the XOF. Watching the sun both rise and set. She'd sneak out of her cell in the early hours or just before sunset to find a high place to watch it. Some people might laugh at her for finding joy in such little things, especially since she was a solider. Her mind shouldn't be on such things. But that's not how she saw it. To her, it meant there was still a little bit of humanity in her, that she wasn't just a killer. And it wasn't just her. On the rare occasions that Snake was at base, she caught him doing the very same thing. He always looked so sad too...like he did now. To her...he looked like a completely different man. Almost like...there were two sides to him...

“...you do your best to stay strong...to hide how things effect you...but I know it does.” Snake finally said, looking at her. “There are always better ways to deal with situations. How Kaz chooses to deal with you, and everyone else, is wrong. I've dealt with a good portion of them, but it looks like I'll have to do the same with Kaz now...god help me...though if he exists I doubt he will...But, how you deal with it is also wrong. I know you want to get back at him but going where you're not allowed, isn't the way...no matter how hilarious it is.” He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. “But, from here on out, you stay out of his room. Stay away from all their quarters. If you do need something though...you can come to mine. Just...please do knock. I'm not so young anymore either and I don't need a shock to my ticker either.”

This earned him a small smirk from her, a corner of her mouth tilting upwards.

“If you do want to still get back at Kaz though...at least to piss him off...there is a way.”

She tilted her head again, asking him what he was up to with her face.

“I'm clearing you to come on missions with me if you want to. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to. The communication issue is simple enough to deal with. That song you like to hum, just use that. Anytime you see something, just give me a hum over the com's, mark it on the iDroid. That should deal with that issue.”

She brightened up a bit as he said that, happy that she could get out and do something again. It was a different feeling though, much different from when she was deployed with the XOF. She felt like she was really doing something to help people for once. Refuges would appear here from time to time, using Mother Base as a way station before moving somewhere new, or staying to help out. They all would speak so highly of Big Boss, regaling tales of how he saved them. She'd even catch some of the kids crowding around him sometimes, seeing him like this great big teddy bear. He handled it well enough, though you could see he was a little uncomfortable with it. From the attention mostly she guessed.

He was a quiet man who liked to keep to himself, though Kaz and Ocelot could get him to talk easily enough. She guessed they had a pretty long past between them, and that's what allowed them to be graced by his voice.

“Hey? You in there?”

She gave him a surprised look, clearly having no knowledge he had still been talking to her.

“...uh...you alright with it then? Going on missions?”

She gave a quick nod, giving him a thumbs up at the same time. She was trying hard to not look overly excited but, she knew she was failing miserably, she could tell by the smirk on his face.

She turned her head away from him, fighting the urge to puff out her cheeks and pout over letting him see her so out of character.

He chuckled, amused by her tactics. “Well, that's settled then. We'll probably head out tomorrow...after breakfast. My 'guardians' are cracking down hard on me eating good meals before heading out. You can go back and rest if you want, or stick around, I'm not getting any sleep yet, and I don't mind some new company every now and again.”

She looked at him again before imitating Kaz as he limped about, plugging her nose as she did so.

“Okay now that's mean...and true. His room really does stink. I don't know how he got the girls all those years ago.”

She glanced over to the single bottle of liquor that he had in the room.

“...yeah...that's probably how he managed it. God I wish you could talk, you'd be a hell of an ace in the hole when I get in bouts with that man.”

She only nodded slightly to that, taking a seat on his bed while he started looking through the paperwork again. This was definitely something she could get use to.

 

The next morning came rather quickly and Quiet wasted no time sneaking out of her cell and making her way over to the helipad. She stayed cloaked, watching as soldiers passed by her having no clue she was even standing there.

She was excited though, like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to step on more natural ground again. It'd been a while since she'd seen a plant that wasn't in a pot somewhere, seeing as Kaz decided she couldn't visit the animal platform either. She had a feeling Snake would change that though. There was no reason she couldn't go over there to relax. What could she possibly do, stir the Cape Hunting Dogs to form a Coup d'état? She really felt like Kaz could be a ridiculous man at times...okay, all the time.

Her ears perked and she turned her head towards the sky, hearing the helicopter far in the distance. She knew the sound of those routers well, it was Pequod, which meant Snake must be on his way.

No sooner had she thought that, than she heard the familiar heavy footfalls of the man. It hadn't taken her long to learn them, he was her most frequent visitor after all.

She made her way over to him, staying cloaked as she noticed Ocelot and Miller were with him. She brushed the strap that hung from Snake's Fulton pack, causing it to sway slightly, just letting him know she was there. This didn't go unnoticed by Ocelot though and he gave Snake a questioning look. He said nothing though, seeing a strange twinkle in the mans eye...they were up to something.

As the helicopter landed, Snake made his way over and climbed in, listening to the usual tirade pour from Miller's mouth. Normally he'd just nod, or roll his eyes since the other man couldn't see it with his back to him, but this time was different. He took his seat and turned his head to look at them, giving a small nod.

Quiet fazed right next to Kaz, almost causing the man to tumble to the ground. She paid him no mind though as she moved towards the helicopter, keeping her head high as she climbed up.

“The hell...where the hell does she think shes going!?” Miller shouted over the router, clearly unhappy.

“Shes helping me today! Shes just going to get bored staying around here, better she get out a bit!”

“She can't even...”

“She can hum! Works well enough for me!” He waved and quickly shut the door, cutting off any quip the other man might have.

Kaz tried screaming over the iDroid at him, but Snake blocked the transmission with him for the time being. He nearly threw said device down against the deck, only being prevented from doing so by Ocelot.

“Christ sake Miller! You know how much just one of those costs?”

“How...how are you even ok with this?”

“How aren't you? How long has she been here now? Nothings happened in this whole time, the only ones making any trouble is you and some of the soldiers. The one person you most distrust, hasn't even done a damn thing negative the whole time shes been here, besides trash your room.”

“...I knew it...he lied to me...”

Ocelot smirked a bit as he started to walk towards the shooting range, intending to have things set up early for the next training group.

“...wait...I know that look...you...you told her to mess with me didn't you!?”

“Hey, shes not the only one who gets bored around here.”

“...you're older than her! You know better!”

“What? You think even I don't need to wind down every now and then? Besides, you've been annoying lately, it's bothersome.”

“I'm trying to protect us!”

Ocelot stopped and turned to him, giving him a frustrated look.

“From what exactly? You're so concerned about that woman, yet this base is mostly made up of transplant soldiers, most of which were sent here after trying to kill The Boss. Then there's me of course...and you.” He said, pointing a finger at him. “You were far from forthcoming with The Boss in that whole affair with Paz and Cipher. Look...we all have pasts Miller, that doesn't damn us to them. I think you're the only one who hasn't changed.”

“You weren't there Ocelot...you didn't...”

“Yeah, I wasn't. And truthfully, I hold my grudges too. But I know when to shove them down too. Whether you like it or not, shes here to stay. It's up to you to either swallow it down and do your job, or stress over it and grow a bunch of gray hair. The Boss knows what he's doing...trust him. He still holds trust in you, so don't you think he deserves the same?”

“I made a mistake with Paz...that won't happen again...”

“Not trusting anyone Kaz...that's not the answer. That'll just alienate you and garner distrust. We can't afford that right now. Let The Boss deal with Quiet, you continue with your work, and I'll continue with mine.”

“...I can't help but think we'll regret this...”

“Sometimes I think you think too much.”

Ocelot clapped the man on the shoulder before heading off to the target range, leaving a slightly bewildered but angry man behind.

**Author's Note:**

> Quiet just doesn't seem to get a lot of stories, least what I've seen anyway. Plus, I quite like doing these little shorts between my longer stories. I do admit, not all of them will stay this lighthearted though, and I'm not even sure how many I'll do. Might even end up grouping these together, not sure yet.
> 
> And yes, I like to pick on Kaz a lot. I do like him though, he's just grumpy in TPP. For obvious reasons of course so I don't fault him.


End file.
